Editor’s note: John Dick is CEO of CivicScience, a Pittsburgh-based research firm. This is an edited version of a post that originally appeared under the title, “Cord-cutting is about to explode.”
It’s no secret that Americans are ditching their cable and satellite services and moving to streaming-only options that promise more choice and lower cost. But the latest CivicScience data suggest that consumers are going to be cutting the cord much faster (and sooner) than most experts previously believed.
A recent survey of over 3,700 U.S. adults found that 25 percent of Web-enabled Americans have moved to streaming-only services and 28 percent of people dropped another pay TV service to get there.
The 28 percent of Americans who cut the cord is a big number but it’s not the most remarkable number in this chart. Twenty-seven percent of Americans are actively considering cutting the cord – which represents 31 percent of consumers who currently have some form of pay TV.
Only 37 percent of Americans and 41 percent of current pay TV customers appear safe to the cable/sat providers. As expected, these never-cord-cutters skew much older and more rural than the average consumer.
We also ran a question inquiring about the main reasons consumers are choosing not to cut the cord. Here’s what 1,071 folks had to say:
By far, the number one reason people are sticking with their cable or satellite provider is the fact (or perception) that they can’t get all of the channels they want through a streaming service. Confusion over the various options and process of cord-cutting came in second, particularly of concern among women and older respondents. Eighteen percent of people are only waiting to cut the cord until their current TV contract is up. Eleven percent, mostly in rural areas, blame weak Internet service and 9 percent believe they have a better deal with their current provider...